SYNCHRONIZED ARRAY OF VIBRATION ACTUATORS IN A NETWORK TOPOLOGY
First Claim
1. A vibration device, comprising:
- a mounting platform;
a plurality of linear resonant actuators attached to the mounting platform, each of the plurality of linear resonant actuators having a moveable mass and an axis of vibration in accordance with a direction of movement of the moveable mass, the axes of vibration of the plurality of actuators being arranged in a substantially parallel configuration; and
a controller coupled to each of the plurality of actuators, the controller being configured to (1) control each actuator to impart a sinusoidal vibration force of a frequency, f1, onto the mounting platform, and (2) control amplitudes and phases of the sinusoidal vibration force from each actuator to generate a combined vibration waveform onto the mounting platform;
the combined vibration waveform emulating a virtual vibration actuator having one or both of the following properties;
a faster amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators, or a larger amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators for non-resonant frequencies.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure relates to a Synchronized Array of Vibration Actuators in a Network Topology providing synchronized arrays of low-cost, readily available vibration actuators to emulate superlative single actuators and bring together sets of these emulated high-performance actuators to create a broad range of desired control effects. Such actuator arrays may operate in both spatial and temporal modes, creating haptic effects that relate to the user via their position and orientation in space. The spatial mode may create h-pulses or the amplitude of a vibrational effect may change based on position of the device. The temporal mode may create vibrational effects that interact with the user to create an awareness of time. Additionally modes include performance, bandwidth, magnitude and reliability modes. The different control modalities may be combined together into a single vector control space, which spans the haptic capabilities of sets and/or subsets of actuators.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A vibration device, comprising:
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a mounting platform; a plurality of linear resonant actuators attached to the mounting platform, each of the plurality of linear resonant actuators having a moveable mass and an axis of vibration in accordance with a direction of movement of the moveable mass, the axes of vibration of the plurality of actuators being arranged in a substantially parallel configuration; and a controller coupled to each of the plurality of actuators, the controller being configured to (1) control each actuator to impart a sinusoidal vibration force of a frequency, f1, onto the mounting platform, and (2) control amplitudes and phases of the sinusoidal vibration force from each actuator to generate a combined vibration waveform onto the mounting platform; the combined vibration waveform emulating a virtual vibration actuator having one or both of the following properties;
a faster amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators, or a larger amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators for non-resonant frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A vibration device, comprising:
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a mounting platform; a plurality of vibration actuators attached to the mounting platform, each of the plurality of vibration actuators having a moveable mass that is constrained to rotate about an axis of vibration and a spring attached to the moveable mass and the mounting platform, wherein each of the vibration actuators is configured to operate as a mechanical harmonic oscillator, and wherein the axes of vibration of the plurality of actuators are arranged in a substantially parallel configuration; and a controller coupled to each of the plurality of actuators, the controller being configured to (1) control each actuator to impart a sinusoidal vibration torque of a frequency, f1, onto the mounting platform, and (2) control amplitudes and phases of the sinusoidal vibration torque from each actuator to generate a combined vibration torque onto the mounting platform; the combined vibration torque emulating a single virtual vibration actuator having one or both of the following properties;
a faster amplitude response than any one of the plurality of actuators, or a larger amplitude response than any one of the plurality of actuators for non-resonant frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. (canceled)
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24. A vibration device, comprising:
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a mounting platform; a plurality of linear resonant actuators attached to the mounting platform such that the axes of vibration for the actuators are substantially in a parallel configuration, each linear resonant actuator including a moveable mass; and a controller coupled to each of the linear resonant actuators, the controller being configured to (1) control each one of the linear resonant actuators to impart a sinusoidal vibration force of a frequency, f1, onto the mounting platform, and to (2) control amplitudes and phases of each sinusoidal vibration force to generate a combined vibration waveform onto the mounting platform, the combined vibration waveform emulating a virtual actuator having a maximum amplitude, A1; and the virtual vibration actuator having one or both of the following properties;
a faster amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators, or a larger amplitude response than any one of the plurality of linear resonant actuators for non-resonant frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification